


They Both Die At The End

by lipsticklesbienne



Category: Andi Mack (TV), They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera
Genre: A lot of canon events, Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, Everyone Is Gay, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Im not sure how long this will be, M/M, Mentioned Amber (Andi Mack), andi and buffy will make appearances tho, centered on tj and cyrus only with a few mentioned characters, maybe amber
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-01-12 12:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18446819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lipsticklesbienne/pseuds/lipsticklesbienne
Summary: TJ and Cyrus both receive calls - both telling them that in the next 24 hours, they are going to die. They can't change this, but with the help of the Last Friend app, they find each other and make their last 24 hours special.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! ive been working on this one for a couple days now. i finished reading the book earlier this year and picked it up again. now that im into andi mack, i thought this would be the perfect au to write. hope you all like it!

Cyrus received the call while he was reading at half past midnight. He picked up the latest copy of the trilogy he was too involved in, and was about halfway through it. His phone rang and he checked the caller ID, which read _ DEATH-CAST _ , and his heart sank to the bottom of his chest. He knew it wasn’t a joke or a prank call. Anxiety beat from his pulse. He debated picking up the phone, but he also knew that he couldn’t ignore it.

 

His trembling hands picked up his phone, accepting the call and holding it against his ear.

 

“Hello? Is this Cyrus Goodman?”

 

That meant it wasn’t a mistake call either. 

 

“Yes,” He responded after a deep, unstable breath.

 

“Cyrus, I regret to inform you that within the next 24 hours, you will meet an untimely death. There is nothing you can do about this, unfortunately. However, there’s a few things you can do to ensure the rest of your life is enjoyable.”

 

Cyrus tuned the operator out. How could he possibly enjoy anything in the next day when that constant threat of dying suddenly was looming above him like a thunder cloud ready to strike him down any second?

 

“Do you understand this?” 

 

_ Oh _ . He forgot about the call until the operator had snapped him out of the daze he was in.

“Yes,” He responded dryly, which immediately made him feel bad. The operator was just doing his job. He didn’t have any right to be harsh with someone doing his job.

 

“You can go to the death cast website for funeral planning, whether you would like to be cremated or not-”

 

Funerals reminded Cyrus of his Bubbe Rose. He was 14 when she passed away. Thinking about how long she lived when he won’t be able to grow past 20 made his heart beat faster and his eyes swell with tears.

 

“And Cyrus?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“We here at Death-Cast wish you the best of luck and hope you live your life to the fullest.”

 

Cyrus hung up before the operator could say anything. He wasn’t going to listen to anything else. While he knew that this poor guy was only doing his job, he couldn’t figure out why anyone would apply for a position to tell people that they’re going to die.

For a moment, his mind was blank. All of this was so sudden, he didn’t know what to do. He should have called Andi or Buffy right away, but the thought of worrying them almost made it worse. He should at least tell his parents. They deserved to know. But by the time he got the courage to tell them, it was nearly one in the morning. They were fast asleep by now.

 

Cyrus sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed, bouncing his leg up and down. He stared at his desk, where a closed notebook, surrounded by his favorite pens. He got up after a minute, sitting down at his desk, flipping through the notebook to a blank page, and picking up a pen.

 

He needed to be quick - but not too quick that his last note would come off rushed. After five minutes, he was able to get everything swirling through his head out on the page. The note was towards his parents. He was careful with his words, however. He told them he was coming back, even though he promised them when he was capable of full sentences that he’d be honest, but he couldn’t bear the weight of letting his parents know by the time they read the letter, he would be dead. 

 

He slipped on a casual outfit, a simple t-shirt under a flannel, a pair of jeans, and his favorite sneakers. He didn’t want to think much about it, but it would be a suitable outfit for his body to be found in. Before sneaking out the door, he shoved his star of David necklace into his pocket. He would put it on later.

 

He got downstairs without so much as making his parents stir in their bed, but as he approached the front door, he just couldn’t leave yet. There was the danger of missing out by not leaving, but an even bigger danger with leaving the comfort of his house and facing the world, various ways that he could be killed.

 

He could wait just an hour longer. For now, Cyrus decided to hand wash the dishes. They were starting to stack, and he was sure his parents would feel better about their son being dead if he did them a favor before.

 


	2. 2: TJ

When TJ received the call, he was outside, playing basketball with himself. It was nearly one o’clock when his phone rang. He nearly chose to ignore it until he checked the caller ID.  _ DEATH-CAST _ . He rolled his eyes, accepting the call and putting it up to his ear.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Is this Trenton Jameson Kippen that I’m speaking to?”

 

“Yeah, I'm TJ,” he answered with a frown. 

 

“Okay, TJ, I regret to inform you that within the next 24 hours, you will meet an untimely death. There is nothing you can do to change this, however, if you stay on the line with me, I have some options for you.”

 

“Isn’t this kinda screwed up?” He asked. “I mean, you tell people they’re gonna die for a living. Don’t you find that screwed up? Why would you want to do that?”

 

“TJ, I have other calls to make tonight,” the operator said. “If-”

 

“And you’re completely unbothered by it. What, does the application require a lack of empathy?”

 

“You want me to be honest? I just got off the phone with a distraught father telling him he was going to lose his son today. He sobbed, saying he was never going to be a father again. I had to dispatch the police to his location if worst case scenario happened and he was involved in his son’s death.” It was clear she had gotten cross with him, scolding him like a mother would to her child. Her story made guilt bubble inside his chest.

 

“I’m sorry. What do I need to do?”

 

She began to talk to him about funeral plannings and things in general he could do to make the next 24 hours less unbearable. 

 

“TJ?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“We here at Death-Cast are sorry for your loss.”

 

“Thanks,” He mumbled, hanging up the call. As soon as he hung up, the park felt unsafe. Who knows what could happen when he was alone at dark? He needed to go home, but without dying in the process. With his basketball tucked under his arm, he turned his flashlight on his phone on and headed slowly and carefully to his home. He stopped for a second, opening his messages to his sister, Amber.

 

“got the deathcast call. if i don't come home tomorrow u will know why. tell mom and dad for me” He wasn't guaranteed that she would see that by morning, but it was worth it to try. “love you.” He added after a second. 

 

He continued his trek back to his house, scanning every bush rustling or tree shaking as he walked. He managed to get home safely after ten minutes. 

 

The house was still silent, nothing but the pitter-patter of his dogs paw pads hitting the hardwood floor. He snuck through the window through his room and crawled onto his bed. 

 

At first, he wasn't sure what he should do. From the call, he vaguely remembered the operator mentioning a Last Friend app. Maybe he should download it. He shouldn't wake up Amber just so he won't die lonely. Without any further thought, he pulled the app store open and began downloading the app.

 

His profile was easy to set up. He said he was looking for a Decker friend and that he was 16 and only accepting chat requests from people his age. Around 50 Deckers were 15-16. TJ frowned

 

He finished his profile, and within 5 minutes, he began getting messages. None of them were appealing. He grumbled, beginning to delete them all.


	3. 3: Cyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is kinda shorter, but i promise theyll be longer once TJ and Cyrus meet in person

Cyrus finished drying his hands, examining the dishes that he had laid out on the counter. He smiled to himself slightly. He was satisfied with himself for the job he had done, especially in low light. He was careful to not make much noise (thankfully his parents were heavier sleepers). 

 

He glanced by the door, smile fading as he kept thinking about his impending death. He needed to do something with himself. From the call from earlier, he vaguely recalled the operator informing him of the Last Friend app. His voice resonated in his head, telling him that he would possibly benefit through meeting someone to spend his last 24 hours with.

 

The app finished installing and he began setting up his profile. He wasn't very specific with his preferences, causing him to receive messages from older men.  _ Yuck. _

 

After a few messages he was less than impressed with, he stumbled across another Decker - 16 like himself. TJ Kippen's profile seemed promising. His profile made him smile. He was really fucking cute too. His blonde hair and green eyes drew him closer.

 

His smile widened as he decided to open a chat between them. He sent a simple  _ hi _ . TJ had read it within a few seconds.

 

“ _ Hey _ ”

 

“ _ Decker huh?” _

 

Cyrus sat himself down at the table. “ _ Yeah, just found out an hour ago. You?” _

 

_ “Me too,”  _ TJ responded. “ _ Can we video chat?” _

 

_ “Sure. _ ”

 

Cyrus turned his volume down and accepted TJ's call. “Can you see me?” He whispered.

 

“Yeah. Parents asleep?”

 

“Yeah. How'd you take the news?”

 

“Pretty shittily,” TJ laughed. “I totally chewed the lady out about her job being insensitive. She chewed me out as equally as bad. You?”

 

“Not the greatest. I was being kind of rude too. My operator didn't deserve it. He was doing his best. I'm really upset about not being able to do anything I want to in the future,” He tried to ignore the tears welling up beneath his eyes, but TJ noticed them right away.

 

“Hey, Cyrus, don't cry. How about we meet up and spend our time together?” TJ offered, smiling towards the other boy.

 

“Yeah. You're from Shadyside, right?”

 

“Mhm. Where should we meet?”

 

“The school playground? It's empty and protected. I think we'll be okay there,” Cyrus asked, which earned a nod from TJ.

 

“Okay. See you later, Cyrus. Be safe.”

 

“Bye, TJ.”

 

He hung up their chat and smiled at his phone screen. Maybe the next 23 hours wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

 


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my upload schedule is not gonna be consistent sorry folks
> 
> anyways tj and cyrus meet in person here!! sorry for another short chapter but 5 should be a little longer (hopefully)

TJ's heart pounded nearly out of his chest as he stared out of the window. The thought of this being the last time he would ever be in his room was beginning to settle in, and his palms were getting sweaty and his hands began to tremble. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was absolutely terrified of what was going to come next. Sure, he was excited to spend time with such a cute boy like Cyrus, but he was still going to die in 23 hours, no matter what.

 

_ But so is Cyrus, _ He thought to himself.  _ I'm not going to be alone.  _ His anxiety began to ease. He opened the door to exit his room one last time, quietly calling his dog to his room. She came quickly, nudging up against TJ's hand. 

 

“Hi girl,” he mumbled. “I'm going away. I won't be back.” He leaned down and laid a kiss on her head. “Make sure Amber takes care of you.” He gave the dog one last pat on the head before ushering her out of his room. He took a deep breath and opened his window, one leg finding its way over, joined by the other.  He slowly climbed down from the house, landing in the lawn with a thud. TJ took one last look at his house and sighed. For someone so scared of dying, he was ready to say goodbye to the house, his parents, and Amber. He turned his back and began his journey to the elementary school nearby.

 

(...) 

 

Cyrus arrived about five minutes ago. Being outside, alone, in the dark made him extremely nervous. Every little noise made him jump and freak out. Someone was going to murder him here before he could meet TJ. Maybe TJ was going to kill him?

 

Footsteps headed towards him. They were slow and careful. Cyrus felt his heart rate speed up. “Cyrus?” 

 

“TJ?”

 

“Yeah, it's me.”

 

Cyrus got off of the swing he was currently on and ran over to the boy. “Oh, thank you for getting here so fast. I was so damn scared.”

 

TJ laughed and patted Cyrus’ shoulder. “I'm here now. If anyone tries to kill us, we'll be a little bit safer.” He smiled at the shorter boy in front of him. “What do you wanna do now that we're here?”

 

“Maybe just stay here at the park? For a little bit.” TJ nodded and the two headed over to the swingset. The blonde watched as Cyrus got on the swing he had been on previously and grinned.

 

“Have you ever been given an underdog before?” He asked, standing to the side of Cyrus.

 

“No. Is that when you push someone really hard and go under them?”

 

“Yeah,” TJ laughed. “Do you want one?”

 

“I don't know, TJ.” Cyrus stammered. “I don't want to get hurt or anything.”

 

“You won't!” He assured the other. “If you do, I'll get you help.”

 

Cyrus opened his mouth to protest, but before he could get any words out, TJ was already pushing him as hard as he could, running underneath him quickly.

 

“How was that?”

 

“Awful! I'm going so high right now.”

 

“Want another?”

 

“Absolutely."

 

TJ smiled to himself and proceeded to give Cyrus another underdog, watching the boy as he pumped his legs to go higher. 

 

“Wait, can you help me stop?” He called. TJ came behind him and grasped the chains, allowing Cyrus to drag his feet on the ground to come to a stop.

 

“This is fun and all, but I was thinking we could do something else. There's so much I want to so before we…” His voice trailed off. He jumped off the swing to face TJ. “Do you have any ideas?”

 

TJ gave the shorter boy a sly smile. "Yeah, I got one.”


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enjoy a 2168 word chapter that took me days to finish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should let y'all know that i did in fact cry while writing this chapter. writing the goodbye scene with Buffy made me hurt and for my sake + your guys sake of not having a 4k word chapter, I shortened andis goodbye scene. sorry if y'all wanted to see that, it was just gonna be longer without giving y'all chapter 5 if I did make it longer

TJ picked up the basketball that rested right where he set his bag. “Ever wanna learn how to play basketball?”

 

Cyrus’ eyes widened. “Oh, no. I don't play sports. I cheer from the sidelines. Buffy can tell you, I don't know a thing.”

 

“Buffy?” TJ stopped, his eyebrows furrowing. “Driscoll? You're friends with her?”

 

“Best friends,” He corrected with a nervous smile.

 

“Huh. I can't say I see you two being friends. She's kind of pushy and harsh.”

 

“Well, a bit, but she's really sweet. Uh, do you know her?”

 

“I've seen her play. She's not that bad, I guess. Does she know?” 

 

“Know what?”

 

“That you're a Decker.”

 

“Oh,” Cyrus froze, biting his lip softly. “No.”

 

“Don't you think you should tell her?” TJ asked, tucking the ball under his arm. “Before you die?”

 

“I know I should,” Cyrus sighed. “But. I don't want to upset her. Or Andi. Besides, they could just find out later.”

 

“Let's leave the park,” The taller boy offered. “I know what we need to do.” He extended his hand out to Cyrus, pulling him off of the swing. 

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Wherever Buffy and Andi’s houses are. You’re going to show me.”

 

“What? It’s the middle of the night!” Cyrus protested. “We can’t bother them, I’ll just text them!”

 

“That’s not enough, Cy. You need to tell them in person. Here, call Buffy and tell her you’re coming over.”

“Okay,” He sighed, casting his eyes towards the ground. “I just don’t want to hurt her.”

 

“It would hurt her more if you didn’t tell her.”

 

Cyrus opened his phone and dialed Buffy’s number (he had memorized it, of course). He could feel his body shake ever-so-slightly and his heart race pick up. It took longer for her to pick up, which he knew would happen. She was a heavier sleeper than he was.

 

“Hello?” Came her groggy voice from the other line. “What do you want, Cyrus?”

 

“I have something I need to tell you. Can I come over?” 

 

“Can’t it wait ‘till morning?” She grumbled.

 

“No, it can’t. It’s really important.”

 

She went silent for a second, and Cyrus thought she might have hung up. “Yeah, come over. I’ll be waiting on my porch.”

 

He hung up, lingering his gaze at his phone for another second. “I can’t believe I have to tell her this.” He mumbled, shoving his phone into his back pocket.

 

TJ laid a hand on the other’s shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile. “I know. She’ll be okay. Promise.”

 

The walk to Buffy’s house was mostly silent. The only thing going through Cyrus’ mind was how he was even going to tell her. None of the options seemed superior. Slowly, the two approached her house. They headed towards the porch, where Buffy said to meet. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, still dressed in her pajamas. 

 

“Cyrus? Who’s this?” She asked, gesturing to TJ.

 

“I’ll get to that. I need to tell you something first.”

 

“You’re scaring me. What is it?”

 

Cyrus frowned and unlocked his phone> He opened his recent calls and held it out to Buffy. “I don’t know how to say it. Just look,” he murmured.

 

“Death-Cast? Cyrus, you got the call?” She looked back up to Cyrus. He felt a pang in his heart. He had never seen Buffy look at him like that before. Not even when he came out to her. “Why didn’t you tell me when you got the call?”

 

“I was scared. Andi doesn’t know either,” He wiped his eyes from the tears pooling beneath them. “I didn’t want you two to know.”

 

“Why not?” She asked, concealing a yawn.

 

“Because I don't want to admit I'm never going to see you again."

 

“Well, come on. We’re gonna go wake up Andi and spend the rest of your time together.” She stood up, walking out from the porch and down the stone path. “Cyrus?”

 

“I can’t do it with you,” Cyrus told her. “I don’t want to spend the last of my time crying and doing nothing. I got the Last Friend app. TJ is my last friend.”

 

“TJ? Kippen? You’re on the basketball team, aren’t you?”

 

“I am. Too bad you’ll never see me play again,” he joked, cracking a smile to attempt to ease the tension. 

 

“You too?” She turned back to Cyrus. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to be with Andi and I.”

 

“Remember when you moved? For that short time? You eventually got sick of all the mourning. That’s how I feel. TJ and I aren’t wasting time on being sad about our deaths. We already have plans.”

 

Buffy went silent, blinking slowly with her eyes cast at the ground. “I’m sorry. Are you going to tell Andi?”

 

“Of course. TJ and I are going to do that now.”

 

“Can I hug you one last time? Before you leave?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Buffy pulled him into her arms, latching herself around his back and holding him tight. Cyrus laid his head on her shoulder and held on just as tight. However, TJ stood ten feet back, frowning.

 

The two stayed like this for nearly five minutes before Buffy pulled away, looking her best friend directly in the eyes. “Please, stay safe. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?

 

“Okay,” Cyrus whispered. 

 

“Goodbye.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

TJ pulled his arm around Cyrus as they walked away. He glanced back at Buffy and silently thanked her for treating her friend so well. To Andi’s house next.

 

Andi took the news just as bad. However, she shed more tears than anyone else had so far. She too gave Cyrus a hug for his goodbye, telling TJ that he was a good person and that she wished she knew him. She wished the two of them to be safe, just like Buffy before sneaking back into her apartment.

 

By the time Cyrus was done with his goodbyes, it was now nearly one-thirty, and the two were worrying about time. 

 

“Where to next?” Cyrus asked.

 

“I don’t know. How do you feel about swimming at the lake?”

 

“I don’t have my bathing suit with me.”

 

“Just take off your clothes and you’ll be fine.”

 

The walk to the lake would be extensive, so TJ hailed a cab and paid the driver to take them to the lake. The ride took them into the parking lot designated for lake visitors, and once he had dropped them off, they ran towards the lake. It was empty, of course, no one snuck into the lake at this hour.

 

Cyrus glanced nervously towards the darkened body of water. “It’s gonna be cold,” he muttered, scratching his arm.

 

“It always is.” TJ shrugged, pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the side. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, of course. But I’m going in. I need a nice swim to wake me up.” He took his shorts off and sprinted towards the water, throwing his body into it.

 

Cyrus followed him, clothes still on, crouching beside the shore. “TJ, you're going to get hypothermia. Or drown. Or both.” He said, prodding at the water with his shoe.

 

“And you're gonna miss out on the fun,” TJ responded, swimming to the other boy. “Just come in. We can get you new clothes downtown. If any places are still open. Real talk, you're not gonna be alone if something goes wrong. We're here to keep each other safe.”

 

Cyrus sighed and sat back, pressing his knees up against his chest. “I can't do it, Teej. I don't want to take a chance here. I'm sorry.”

 

TJ frowned and pulled himself out of the water, shivering as his body hit the cold hair. “Hey, don't be sorry, please. It's okay that you don't want to. What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t want to die before the twenty four hours are up. It’s as simple as that.” Cyrus shrugged. “I want to take risks and have a good time but there’s so much that could go wrong here. Cold shock response could cause you to die immediately, you could get hypothermia. I don’t want to risk that right now. Not at three in the morning.”

 

TJ sighed. He sat down next to Cyrus, keeping his vision on the water. “I get it. I don't wanna lose you earlier than I have to. Plus, I'd rather go together.”

 

The air was silent between them for a couple minutes, nothing but the occasional splash from lake creatures, crickets chirping, and the trees shaking. That silence, however, was broken. 

 

“Have you told anyone?” Cyrus asked, looking over at TJ.

 

“Hm? Oh. Yeah, I have,” he responded, picking at the grass.

 

“Who?”

 

“My sister, Amber.”

 

“How did she react?”

 

“She was upset,” TJ lied. He hadn't touched his phone since meeting Cyrus, so he hadn't seen if Amber had responded to his texts.

 

“Yeah?”

 

TJ was beginning to feel guilty about lying. It was his Last Day, why should he be anything besides honest?

 

“Actually, I haven't told her in person. I texted her, but I couldn't get myself to tell her in person. She'd be devastated.”

 

“I said the same thing about Andi and Buffy,” Cyrus murmured, turning his head to look at TJ. “There was some sort of freedom telling them. I'm sure telling Amber would feel the same.”

 

“I'm not going to wake her up now. It's three in the morning and I don't feel like getting yelled at for interrupting her sleep. Even for something like this.”

 

Cyrus frowned. “I just don't want you to go without telling anyone who cares about you. That's not fair to you or them. It wouldn't have been fair to Andi or Buffy if I didn't tell them.”

 

“Can you stop guilting me?!” TJ snapped. “I already feel bad. What else do you want from me?”

 

The silence grew again. This time, Cyrus knew it was best if he didn't say anything. 

 

After a minute, TJ took a deep breath. “I'm sorry for yelling at you. And it's not fair, you're right. I basically guilted you into talking to your friends. It's stupid I can't even tell mine.”

 

“It's not stupid, TJ. I shouldn't have pressured you. I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay. We better not waste our time with stupid fighting. What do you wanna go do?”

 

“Just sit here for a little longer,” Cyrus whispered. “I'm gonna miss this view.”

 

The other boy smiled, finally dry enough to put his clothes back on. “Me too. Amber and I used to canoe here all the time. Our parents let us take our canoes and oars and spend all day on the lake.” He laughed to himself a bit. “One day, I didn't put sunscreen on. Totally got fried out there. I was red for a week after that.”

 

“TJ! How could you forget something like that?” Cyrus asked, concerned, yet hiding back a laugh.

 

“Amber and I were so excited to canoe, I just forgot. Have you ever done anything like that?”

 

Cyrus thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. But there was one time Andi, Buffy, Jonah and I went canoeing. Jonah and I sunk our canoe and we both had to pay for it. Not fun at all.” 

 

Once their laughter had died down, it was near silent between them yet again, making TJ uncomfortable.

 

“Did you ever tell your parents that you’re gay?”

 

“Never got the chance. I found out only a year ago. I should have told them in the letter I wrote. It’s unfair they won’t get to know that about me,” Cyrus’ smile faded as he finished. “Did you?”

 

“No, but Amber knew. She and I had that in common, I guess. Too bad our parents won’t have grandkids. Unless Amber adopts or something.”

 

“Can I tell you something?”

 

“I mean, we’re here,” TJ shrugged. “Might as well say what’s on your mind.”

 

Cyrus nodded. “I’m terrified to die. The entire night so far, I’ve tried to stop myself from thinking about the inevitable. I know it’s going to happen, but I’m scared for when it will. I’m scared about my parents’ reactions too. And Buffy and Andi. The looks on their faces when I told them is forever burned into my mind. I feel like I’ll remember it even when I’m dead.”

 

“I can’t lie and say I’m not scared either, Underdog. It’s the worst feeling, don’t you agree? Having that restless feeling in the bottom of your stomach, second guessing things you do on the daily because you didn’t know how dangerous it could be. I don’t want to die and I think that goes for every CountDowner too.” TJ stopped himself, turning to face Cyrus directly. “But I’m less scared because of you. You’re the only person I can talk to like this. Not even my sister and I had conversations like this. I’m glad you’re my Last Friend.”

 

Cyrus gave him a smile and placed a hand on TJ’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re my Last Friend too.”


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get even sadder :)

TJ grinned and stood up. “Let’s go find something else to do. It’s almost four and I’m starving. Is the Spoon open?”

“No. But there is a twenty four hour diner downtown. We should go to that.” Cyrus copied his actions and followed TJ to the parking lot. “Should we call another taxi?”

“Nah, I wanna walk. Less of a chance of getting murdered by our driver.”

Cyrus nodded and the two began walking down the sidewalk, headed towards the downtown area. “I don’t think I’ve ever been up this late before. I usually read until midnight or so, then I fall asleep. It’s weird for me, but it almost feels like time has stopped.”

TJ chuckled. “Yeah? Wish I could say the same. I stay up all the time. I sneak out pretty much all the time during the summer too. It helps clear your head, going on walks in the dark.”

“That’s ridiculously dangerous, Teej.”

“I didn’t consider that at the time. I was at the park when I got the call Imagine how terrified I was when I hung up, now aware of literally everything being able to kill me. Someone could have murdered me, the hoop could have fallen and hit me on the head, someone could have ran me over -”

“Can we stop talking about that?” Cyrus winced, uncomfortable look across his face.

“Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry, Underdog.”

“I shouldn’t be so scared to talk about this kind of stuff. I mean, it’s going to happen to us regardless. We should be open to talk about it.”

“But if it makes you uncomfortable, we don’t have to talk about it. I don’t wanna ruin the -” TJ took his phone out of his pocket and checked the clock. “Twenty hours we have left.”

“I’ll be okay.”

The two had finally reached main street after nearly twenty minutes of walking. The diner lights flashed, alerting them it was open. They went inside, greeted by a tired looking host The diner was empty, no one besides another tired man sitting by himself, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Your server will be with you in a second,” The host said, going back to his stand to clean the windows.

“Did you know there’s a menu for Deckers?” TJ asked, looking up from his menu.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I come here a lot. They’re free, too. I’ve heard some people fake getting the call just for free food.” 

“That’s not fair to actual Deckers,” Cyrus frowned. “They don’t know what it’s like.”

A younger woman in her twenties came up to the two, holding a pen and a pad of paper in her hands. “Hi, my name is Ellis and I’ll be your server tonight? What can I start you off with?”

“Um, both of us are Deckers, just so you know before we order.”

“Are you? Or are you two trying to dupe me into giving you free food?”

“No, no,” Cyrus dismissed anxiously. “Not at all.”

Ellis sighed in relief. “Good. I’m sick of kids coming in and pretending to be dying.” The two kept quiet before she spoke again. “What can I get you for drinks?”

“I’ll just take water,” Cyrus said.

“Hm, coffee for me.” 

“I’ll be right back with that,” she said, walking off to the kitchen. TJ watched her.

"She's kinda rude," he remarked, frowning in her direction.

"I wouldn't say that," Cyrus shrugged. "She's probably been working for hours and you know how people treat servers. Not good."

TJ nodded. "Amber waitresses at the Spoon. For the most part she likes it, but sometimes she never catches a break."

"Oh yeah!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I've seen her. She's waited on Andi, Buffy, and I tons of times. But I don't think she likes us very much."

The other boy laughed and gave Cyrus a nudge with his elbow. "Dude, she likes you guys a lot. There's a reason she waits on you nearly every time. She likes Andi." He chuckled again and rolled his eyes. "She's too scared to tell her, though."

"Amber? Scared? That doesn't sound likely."

"She's got competition. That guy, Walker liked her, not to mention Jonah-"

Cyrus slammed his hands on the table. "Shit! I forgot to tell Jonah!"

TJ raised an eyebrow. "Is it important that he knows?"

"I liked Jonah," he explained. "He was who made me realize I'm gay." 

"Oh." TJ muttered, then pausing.  "Do you, uh, still like him?" He asked slowly. 

"What?" Cyrus gave him a confused look. "No, not anymore. He likes Andi. Or Amber. I'm still not sure yet." He laughed to himself. "Jonah Beck is a confusing boy."

TJ seemed to sigh in relief when Cyrus finished talking, but Cyrus chose to ignore it as Ellis came back with their drinks.

"Sorry for the wait, boys," she panted. "Do you know what you want or do you need a minute?"

"Oh, man," TJ groaned. "We need a minute. I haven't even looked at the menu yet."

Their waitress walked away as the two opened their menus, scanning the items listed. The two were able to figure out their orders in a couple minutes. Ellis came back to their table, scribbled down their orders, and walked off to the kitchen.

“So, Jonah. Are you going to tell him?” TJ asked after a minute.

“I don’t know if I should wake him right now. It’s so late - or early - that I’d hate to wake him up and disturb him.”

“This is important, Cyrus. You like Jonah and he likes you. Go ahead and tell him.” There was something off about TJ’s tone, Cyrus thought. He seemed irritated, almost. Cyrus got up carefully.

“I’ll just go step out in the lobby,” he said slowly. “Wait here.”

“I will.”

Cyrus quickly walked out into the lobby, pulling his phone out and calling Jonah. He waited for about 5 rings before the other line picked up.

“Cyrus?” Jonah’s voice was groggy, much like Buffy’s when he had called. “Why are you calling at five in the morning?”

“I have something important to tell you.” He felt himself getting emotional already. He was just as close to Jonah as he was to Andi and Buffy, so he was beginning to feel that knot in his stomach that suddenly made all food seem unappetizing. 

“What is it?”

Cyrus wanted to skate around the issue. Maybe he could just hang up and block Jonah on everything. He figured that’d be easier than telling Jonah he was dying. 

“Cyrus?”

“I got the Death-Cast call earlier. I only have 19 hours left. Or less, depending on how soon it happens.”

Jonah was silent for a minute which made Cyrus’ heart race. He couldn’t tell what Jonah was going to respond with and that was driving him insane. “Jonah?”

“I’m sorry. How long ago?”

“I got it at midnight.”

“How did Andi and Buffy react?”

“They were upset.”

“Are you with them now?”

“No.”

"Why not?"

Cyrus sighed. “I’m with TJ Kippen. He’s my Last Friend.”

“Oh.”

“I have to get back to him.”

“Wait, Cyrus,” Jonah started. “I’m sorry I’m acting like this. I’m just shocked.”

“I know.”

“I can’t believe it’s you out of all of us. Are you okay?”

“As okay as I can be knowing that I’m going to die.”

Jonah took a deep breath and sniffled, telling Cyrus he must have been crying.

“I’m gonna let you go, Jonah. I have to get back to TJ.”

“Okay,” Jonah whispered.

Cyrus bit his lip. He had never been this close to telling the other boy that he liked him before and he figured Jonah should know before he died. “Um, can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

He paused, staring down at the floor. “I’m going to miss being your friend.” That secret would die with him. 

“Me too, Cy.”

“Stay docious magocious, Jonah.”

“You too. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

With that final word, he hung up. He watched the call disconnect and Jonah’s display picture disappear and go back to his home page. He lingered in the lobby for another few seconds. He wiped his eyes before letting his body take him back to the booth TJ was seated at. 

TJ noticed the look on his face immediately. “Underdog?”

Cyrus sat down next to the other boy and promptly began to sob into his chest.


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> amber makes an appearance:)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all ive been producing so many long chapters I hope you don't mind them

Making a scene in the middle of a diner full of tired workers and patrons was probably the last thing he wanted to do when he was 19 or so hours from dying, but Cyrus just couldn't help it.

TJ was reluctant to let him stay like this, face pressed into his chest and hands clenching at his shirt, but he wasn't going to make things worse for the boy. Instead, he let Cyrus cry while he held tears back himself. The few patrons were beginning to stare, but TJ quickly combated that with mouthing them to fuck off. After a minute of reluctancy, he pulled Cyrus into a loose hug.

For a couple minutes, they stayed like this, silence between them besides the muffled sobs coming from the shorter boy. After that had passed, Cyrus was beginning to calm down.

TJ carefully separated him from his chest, giving a beat before he spoke. “Did Jonah say anything to you?”

“Well, not anything bad if that's what you're implying,” Cyrus sniffled. “It’s just all sinking in. It’s a reality for me now. I’m going to die very soon and I’ll never get to talk to my best friends again.” He bit his lip hard to prevent himself from breaking down again. He knew people were staring and didn’t want to go through that again.

“Tell me about it,” TJ whispered. “Talk to me about your friends.”

“I can’t, Teej. I’m going to cry even more. I can’t do that.”

“Crying is normal and human, Underdog. Don’t be ashamed.”

Cyrus took a deep breath and shook his head. “We don’t have time for this. I don't want to waste more time crying."

The taller boy nodded. “Are you still hungry?” He asked.

“No, not anymore. My appetite went away when I hung up with Jonah.”

TJ nodded again. He noticed their waitress in the back and got up, heading over to her direction. “Cyrus and I are going to leave. Could we just box up our food?"

Ellis peeked into the kitchen and nodded. “It’s almost done. I’ll do that for you.”

“Thanks,” TJ called as he walked away, sitting right back next to Cyrus. “What should we do when we leave?”

“I don’t know.” Cyrus’ eyes were red and puffy and the whites were slightly bloodshot, causing TJ to frown. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what else we could do.”

“No, no. Don’t apologize. Maybe we could go visit Jonah? Would that help you out?”

“God, no. I don’t want to disturb him even more. Let’s just, I don’t know, take a walk downtown.”

Ellis arrived with their boxes, setting them on the table. “Thank you boys for coming in,” she said. “I hope the rest of the night goes well for you.”

TJ gave her a nod as a thank you and grasped Cyrus’ hand to pull him up from the booth. “We should probably eat later. I don’t want either of us starving.”

“We won’t die, though,” Cyrus shrugged. “The human body can survive nearly two weeks without food.”

“Well, with our situation, we need to be as careful as possible. We’re not really considered living anymore.”

The other boy just shook his head. “We’re not dead yet either, Teej. We’ll take a break soon, just don’t worry that either of us are going to drop dead.”

They left the restaurant, giving their waitress a tip of thirty dollars. They had no other use for money, and they figured she could use a good tip. 

They then began their walk downtown. The sun was beginning to rise, as the midnight blue sky was being taken over by mixtures of pink, yellow, and orange. It was now nearly six a.m., and the air was starting to get tense. The hours were ticking by, getting closer and closer to their deaths.

It was silent, nothing but the birds singing and the occasional car driving past them. “Do you believe in an afterlife?” Cyrus asked after a while.

“I believe in two.”

“Explain.”

TJ smiled. “I think we’re basically dead right now. We’re still alive, but not at the same time. Does that make sense?” Cyrus nodded.

“I think so.”

“Yeah, so we’re in an afterlife right now, that twenty four hours before a Decker kicks it. Then when we actually die, that’s our second afterlife.”

“That’s a really interesting way of thinking about it, Teej.”

TJ nudged Cyrus with his shoulder and grinned again. “What about you, Underdog?”

“I do, but just one,” he said. “It kind of helps me calm down from being scared of dying. I’ll be able to see my Bubbe Rose again.”

“How long ago did that happen?”

“About a year. I don’t like thinking about it. I was close to her. Nearly told her that I was gay before she died.”

“What stopped you?” TJ asked, with a slight frown. 

“I thought the shock might have killed her,” Cyrus laughed, but TJ noted he didn’t look very happy. “I’ve got a few family members wondering why I don’t have a girlfriend yet. I don’t have the heart to tell them.”

The taller boy nodded, embracing Cyrus in a side hug. “I’m sure she knows now. And I’m sure she’ll be so excited to see you again.”

Cyrus’ smile faded. “Yeah, I guess. But thinking about her makes me upset because she got to live a full life and I’m just this 16 year old nothing who didn’t even get to have a boyfriend.”

“Don’t think about it like that,” TJ insisted. “I can’t say it’s shitty we didn’t get to experience much, but in this twenty four hours, I’ve had so much fun being with you.”

The shorter boy’s face faded to a slight pink and TJ couldn’t tell if it was the light from the sun or a blush illuminating his face. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you too. You’ve gotten me out of my comfort zone, and that’s impressive.”

They continued to walk downtown, watching a few shops open up and start their days. “What do you think we should do now?” Cyrus asked.

“I don’t know. I almost want to see Lester and Reed again.”

“Who’s that?”

TJ shook his head. “These old friends of mine. They’re alright, just kind of bullies. We used to go dirt biking with each other. Reed brought a gun and watermelons and with current news and stuff, I got nervous after a while. His dad found out because I told him, and now Lester and Reed hate me.”

“I’m sorry. You did the right thing, though.”

“The dumb thing is that I feel like I didn’t. I feel like maybe I should have shut up and ignored the bad feelings I got.”

Cyrus sighed and shook his head. “No, you did the right thing. I’m proud of you for that. But do you think we should see them?”

“Probably not. Let’s just leave them alone.”

He nodded. “Got it.”

The two walked down the length of the street for a little longer, before TJ stopped dead in his tracks. Cyrus stopped next to him, looking up to the boy with concern in his eyes. “Teej, what’s wrong?”

“My phone is ringing. I think it’s Amber.”

“Does she usually get up this early?”

TJ took a deep breath. “Yeah, she does. She works this morning.” He hesitantly took his phone out of his back pocket and checked the caller-ID. “Oh, man. It is Amber.”

“Answer it.”

After another breath, he accepted the call and held the phone up to his ear. “Good morning, Amber.” 

“TJ? Are you okay?” Cyrus could hear her panic from the speaker, and he wasn’t completely sure if he should be listening or not. He sat down at a bench near the crosswalk instead.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you? Or are you lying to me?”

“Yes, Amber! I’m not dead or dying yet. I’m with someone, too. We’re safe.”

There was silence on the other line. “Who are you with?”

“His name is Cyrus. He’s my age, not a serial killer. He got the call too. You can stop interrogating me, mom.” TJ could sense the eyeroll from her.

“Whatever you say, Teej. Did you even tell mom and dad?”

“Nope.”

“TJ, I swear to God, I’m going to kill you before anything else does. Don’t you think they should know?”

The boy sighed, looking back to Cyrus, who had been sitting at a bench by himself, swinging his legs back and forth. “They should. But that’s why you’re going to tell them. I want to tell them, don’t get me wrong, but I’m preoccupied with Cyrus. I want to stay with him and spend the rest of my time with him.” He took a deep breath and relaxed his tense shoulders. “I’m sorry. Take care of Rubes for me, okay?”

“Got it. Good luck today. Stay safe and let me know what happens.”

“Okay.”

Silence again.

“Love you, bitch.”

Amber laughed. “I’ll miss that. Love you too, asshole. Goodbye. Unless I hear from you again.”

“You might. Cyrus and I want to come down to the Spoon if we’re still alive and get food.”

“Hopefully see you then?”

“Of course. See ya.”

Amber hung up first. TJ shoved his phone back in his pocket and walked back towards Cyrus. 

“How’d it go?” He asked, standing up from the bench.

“Pretty good, I guess. Wanna go to the Spoon if we’re still alive for lunch?”

“Of course. But for now, let’s just continue walking around the town.”

TJ embraced the other boy from the side again and walked themselves down the street.


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i have a problem idk why i keep writing angsty chapters over 2k words and end them with someone crying. this is like the third one i think. anyways enjoy it

They continued to wander around main street, no destination in mind. They reached the end of the street after twenty minutes or so, and Cyrus was beginning to get tired and bored of walking.

“We’ll go sit down somewhere. The park’s close by, let’s head there.”

They changed directions to make their way to the park, talking about nonsense as they went.

It was still only six-thirty in the morning, so the park was more than empty besides a few stray morning joggers. They walked through the grass, dew hitting their ankles. They found an empty bench near the playground and sat there, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. 

They were beginning to get exhausted, as neither of them hadn’t slept in the past day or so. Cyrus rested his head on TJ’s shoulder, eyes opening and closing as he began to doze off.

“You don’t have to worry, Underdog. I’ll keep watch for you. Go ahead and rest.”

That made the boy feel more safe as he finally drifted off to sleep. TJ was tired himself, but he couldn’t let himself fall asleep in case something were to happen to him or Cyrus. He was more worried about Cyrus, though.

As he sat silently on the bench, unmoving so that he wouldn’t disturb the sleeping boy, a lot began to fill TJ’s mind. He couldn’t resist thinking Cyrus was the best person he had ever met, and that he wouldn’t trade him for anything. He glanced over at him and his face warmed up. He also couldn’t resist noticing how unmistakably adorable he was. While he knew he was gay from the moment he entered the seventh grade, he never found himself thinking about a boy like this.

Cyrus’ chest was rising and falling slowly, but TJ’s pulse began to pick up speed. He was getting nervous just at the sight of him. How ridiculous. Was it even possible to develop a crush in a matter of a few hours or was he just overestimating his feelings at the time? No matter what was going on, he hated feeling like this.

Cyrus napped for about an hour, beginning to stir at around seven. TJ used his elbow to nudge him gently, attempting to get the boy awake. He groaned but opened his eyes and sat up. “Did anything happen?” He asked with a croak in his voice.

“Nah. We should go do something, though.”

“Don’t you want to sleep?” 

TJ shook his head. “I’m alright. We can stop later if we need to, but I could run a marathon with the amount of energy I have right now.” He paused. “But not that I want to. Let’s just go walk around or something.”

The two of them got up, stretching their legs and arms from being in the same position for an hour. “When are we going to the Spoon?” Cyrus asked as they walked away from the bench.

“Probably for lunch, but that depends on if we’re alive at that time. I promised Amber we would.” He glanced over at Cyrus, who was staring at the ground with a sad look. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like how you keep saying that. ‘If we’re alive at that time’. I know we’re going to die, but you saying that is making me feel more and more nervous about when that eventually happens.”

TJ frowned. “Oh, well, I think it’s something we can’t avoid. I know you’re scared. I am too. But it’s going to happen, so we might as well talk about it.” He paused after speaking. “That doesn’t sound insensitive or anything, right?”

“No, not-” Cyrus froze, fumbling for his phone in his back pocket. “I guess it’s my turn for an angry call.” He checked the caller ID - his mom.

“Shit. Do you mind if I take this?”

“Go ahead.” TJ walked about a thirty feet away and pulled out his phone while Cyrus accepted the call.

“Cyrus?” Her voice was shaky, he noticed. It was clear she had been crying.

“Hi, mom.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sobbed. “I thought we lost you already. Why didn’t you wake us up?”

“You were asleep,” Cyrus shrugged. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Where are you now?”

“At the park with my friend, TJ.”

She paused. “TJ who?”

“Kippen. He’s safe, mom. He’s a Decker too.”

“If you say so. Can you please come home? And at least give us one last goodbye? I don’t want this to be the last time I hear from you.” 

Cyrus sighed, glancing over at TJ, who was on his phone, lazily scrolling through something. “I- yeah. TJ and I will be there soon. It’ll be a little bit.”

“Okay,” she responded. “Be safe, please. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, mom.”

He decided to hang up first. He walked over to TJ and grinned. “How do you feel about meeting my mom and my stepdad?”

TJ looked up puzzled. “What?”

“My mom wants us to come over so we can properly say goodbye. Do you want to come?”

“I mean, we shouldn’t separate from each other,” he said. “So, yeah, I’ll come.”

“Cool, let’s go.”

They began their trip back uptown, not that far from their current location, but still a twenty minute walk. As usual, TJ had his arm holding Cyrus close. “I’m sure you’ll like my parents and they’ll like you,” Cyrus told them. “They’re all therapists, so beware of that.”

“All?”

“Both of my parents divorced and remarried, so now I’ve got four therapist parents. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but I can’t ever get away with anything. They see right through me,” he laughed.

“Oh, yeah?” TJ smirked. “What could you possibly need to get away with?”

“Nothing.” Cyrus rolled his eyes and playfully shoved the other boy. “Theoretically, though, I couldn’t ever sneak out, or hide how I feel, or anything like that. But I’m usually always honest with them.”

“Usually?”

“Okay, I’m always honest with them.” He crossed his arms. “Jeez, way to take the cool away from me.”

TJ laughed. “It’s okay, Underdog. You’re pretty cool to me.”

That made Cyrus grin. “Thanks, Teej.”

“Did you know you’re the only person I let call me that?”

The shorter boy gave him a confused look. “Why?”

“I can’t stand that nickname,” TJ shrugged. “But hearing it from you makes me hate it less. I don’t know, it just sounds better coming from you.”

Cyrus hummed, the grin on his face refusing to fade. “People call me Cy all the time. I don’t mind it, honestly. But I really like Underdog. It’s so specific to us and I appreciate that. It’s our own inside joke.”

TJ had his eyes towards the front of them, watching just in case someone decided to run into them or if they needed to move for someone on their bike, but he picked his head up and glanced at Cyrus, smile dropping slightly. “I have a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.”

Running his free hand through his hair, he waited about three seconds before asking. “Did you ever feel guilty for feeling the way you did about Jonah? Like, you wish you didn’t feel that way, especially about someone who you think is way out of your league?”

Cyrus frowned and took a short breath. “I mean, I did. That was when Andi still liked him and I felt so guilty for having a crush on my best friend’s crush. And he was my first boy crush, so I didn’t know if it was a one time thing, or if I would feel this way about boys for the rest of my life. And yes, there were points where it would hurt so much knowing he wouldn’t ever like me back that I sat in my room and cried over him.”

“How’d you get over feeling that way?” TJ asked slowly.

“That’s the funny part. Buffy taught me how to give bro hugs, because usually I would go in for a normal hug, but because of toxic masculinity or something like that, Buffy decided I would look ridiculous doing that. So she trained me to bro hug. Jonah and I hugged a lot, and each time he did, I felt warning signs go off in my stomach, like, ‘pull away! He’ll find out! He’s straight!’. But one day, he hugged me and I didn’t feel those warnings anymore. It just disappeared. Each time after that day, I didn’t feel that. That’s when I knew I didn’t like him anymore.”

“I’m glad you’re not letting your feelings for him bother you anymore. It’s hard pining after a boy you’re so sure won’t like you back.”

Cyrus bit his lip. “It sure is.”

Silence fell between the two. TJ had removed his arm from Cyrus’ shoulder by now and both of them had lost their smiles by now. TJ could tell he made things awkward, but he couldn’t apologize. Instead, he let things stay the way they were until Cyrus lead the two of them to his house.

“Ready to meet them?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, Goodman.”

Cyrus opened the door and immediately faced his parents, standing by the counter. His mother’s eyes were red and puffy, presumably from rubbing the tears away. His stepfather held her hand tightly. “We’re here.”

“Thank goodness. We’re worrying about everything, Cy. We were terrified you wouldn’t even make it over.”

“Well, we’re here and not injured. Um, TJ, these are my parents.” He gestured to the other boy and TJ gave them a simple wave.

“Nice to meet you, TJ,” his stepdad replied, giving him a nod.

“Nice to meet you too,” he answered, rather awkwardly. TJ was great with being around kids, but being around adults he wasn’t familiar with was unbearable. 

“What have you guys been doing lately?” Cyrus’ mother asked.

Cyrus finally smiled again. “We met up in the elementary school playground, hung out there, talked to Buffy and Andi, went to the lake, ate out, and have just been walking around town. Nothing too interesting, I guess.”

“What time did you leave?”

“Close to two in the morning, I think.”

“Any other plans?”

“Yes, but it’s alright. I’ll let you know what we’re doing and how things are going.” 

TJ rocked back and forth on his heels. He didn’t know why, but he thought it was weird Cyrus always knew what to say. It seemed rehearsed somehow. Like he imagined this conversation beforehand and prepared what and how to say things.

“How is your family taking the news, TJ?”

TJ snapped up and froze before answering after what felt like an extremely long time.“Oh, uh, my sister was upset, but we’re supposed to see her later.” He paused and instead of owning up to not telling his parents, he lied through his teeth. “And my parents- they found out before I left. We said goodbye and I’ve been keeping them updated.” Cyrus glanced over at the boy and tried to hide his confusion. Thankfully, his parents didn’t see through that.

“I see,” his stepfather said. “Well, I hope they’re doing alright. I suppose, it’s about eight. Where are you guys headed next?”

“Probably the Spoon,” Cyrus replied. “We’re gonna go see TJ’s sister and have breakfast.”

“Do you want a ride over there?”

“No,” TJ said quickly. “Sorry, I just don’t want to risk it. My uncle died in a car crash during his twenty four hours.” His face began to heat up. Here he went again, oversharing and being an asshole.

“Oh!” The woman exclaimed. “I’m sorry, TJ. You guys go head and walk there. I trust you’ll be okay.”

“Are you ready to go, TJ?”

“I think so.”

Cyrus’ parents embraced him tightly while TJ watched from the door. He scratched at his arm and waited in the silence for Cyrus to leave. He could hear whispering, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“TJ?” His mother called.

“Yeah?”

“Come here, kid.” She pulled him into a hug, taking TJ by surprise. He should have enjoyed the touch, but all he felt was nothing. “Thank you for helping keep Cyrus safe. I hope he does the same for you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Goodman.” 

“Leslie, actually.” They pulled away, the woman with a sad smile on her face. TJ could tell she was hiding back tears.

Cyrus headed towards the door, looking back to his parents. “Goodbye. I love you all.” His steady voice began to break and ask the two walked out the door, he let the tears fall again.

TJ didn’t say anything, opting to wrap his arms around the boy and sit on the porch until he was ready to leave again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :))))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS im so sorry for the delay this took so long to write and im still not completely happy with it but it is nearly 3k words on its own. have fun y'all

Cyrus got up after only a couple minutes, pushing TJ’s arms off of him to wipe his tears away. “I’m alright now. Let’s head out.”

The boys came further and further away from the Goodman’s house. They talked, but not as much as they had before. Cyrus had detected something was wrong, but he wasn't completely sure if he was just reading things wrong. The walk wasn't far, thankfully, so within 15 minutes, they had reached the Spoon.

They walked inside. The diner was not incredibly busy, but there were a fair amount of tables filled, as it was a popular spot. TJ spotted Amber, scribbling an order in her pad and turning around to deliver the ticket to the kitchen. The two found a booth and sat down, waiting for their waitress.

"It's been forever since I've been here," Cyrus said, smiling at the familiar interior. "Well, forever meaning about three days ago." The boy's smile dropped and he stared at the table. "I'm gonna miss this place."

"Hey, TJ, Cyrus." The two boys looked up to see Amber in her uniform, holding her notepad in one hand, pen in the other. "Glad to see both of you alive."

TJ stood up from the booth and put his arms around his sister, which happened to be a very rare event. TJ loved his sister dearly, but affection wasn't his thing. She pulled away after a minute and playfully shoved him. "I told Mom and Dad, by the way. They're pissed you didn't tell them, but I told them you were busy and they backed off. They expect a text soon if you're still alive, though."

TJ snickered. "I figured. Thanks, Ambs. I'm sure you already know him, but this is Cyrus." He gestured to the boy, who had been fidgeting with the flip menu in the table.

"I do know him," she said with a smile. "Hi, Cyrus." 

"Hey."

"How's Andi and Buffy doing?"

Cyrus shrugged. "I haven't talked to them since late last night. They obviously didn't take it well, but they know I'm here with TJ."

Amber nodded and frowned. "I'll probably call Andi later during my break. Anyways, I'll get your drinks in a moment." She turned around and headed back into the kitchen to prepare their drinks.

"Are you doing okay, Underdog?"

Cyrus looked up from the table and into TJ's eyes. "As okay as I can be. Why?"

"You just seem awkward. Is it Amber?"

The other boy shrugged again. "She wasn't exactly the nicest person to my friends. She was alright to me but, I don't know, I still don't understand her."

"Trust me," TJ chuckled. "No one does. But she's not a mean girl. She feels bad about acting the way she did to Andi and Buffy. I just think she was confused about herself, and that translated to coming off bitchy."

Cyrus simply nodded. "Probably. You guys must be really close if you know her that well."

"That and she's not exactly subtle at home. She was pretty open about her jealousy. She doesn't hide it well as it is."

"Sorry for the wait, guys. I’ve got some crazy customers today. Here’s your milkshake, Cyrus. And your one black coffee, sociopath. I already know what you guys want, so I already put the orders in.”

TJ smiled at his sister. “Thanks.”

“And don’t worry about paying,” she told them. “I’ve got it covered.”

“You didn’t need to do that.” Cyrus frowned, looking up towards Amber. “We could have gotten it.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be back in 15 minutes with your food.” She walked away from their table, heading over to take care of her other customers.

“She’s never been that nice to us before,” Cyrus muttered.

“It’s the fact that we’re dying in sixteen hours. I don’t think she’d feel okay if her last interactions with Deckers were her being mean. She’s coming around, Underdog. I promise she’s not all bad.”

“Okay,” he said. “I trust your judgement.”   
The door to the diner opened and Cyrus glanced back to see who had entered and immediately stood up. “Jonah!”

Jonah stopped by the table, pulling Cyrus into a non-bro hug. “Thank god, man. I didn’t know if you’d be around by now!”

“I’m alive, thankfully.”

“I’m glad you are.” He looked over to TJ, who stared blankly into his coffee. “Kippen?”

“Hey, Jonah.”

Cyrus stopped. “You know him?”

“He was on my Little League team. And I met him through Amber,” Jonah said slowly. “It’s been forever, hasn’t it?”

“It has, Beck. Nice to see you here.”

“Thanks.”

Cyrus pulled Jonah into the booth next to him. “Eat with us. We just came here to eat for the last time.”

“Man, that must suck. I can’t ever imagine what it’s like for you guys.”

“It’s certainly not fun.”

TJ began blocking out their conversation. Unless they needed him, he’d just be in the safety of his mind, trying to hide.

“TJ?”

“What?”

“Jonah just asked if we’d want to go play ultimate with him after breakfast?”

TJ hesitated. “Oh, well, if you want to, we can.” He turned back to mindlessly toying with the strings on his hoodie.

“I’ll be right back. I wanna see if I can say hi to Amber.” Jonah got up from the booth and walked towards the back, where Cyrus could see him waiting for her to come out.

The table was silent before Cyrus glanced back at TJ, who now looked upset, like he was going to cry out of anger.

“Teej?”

“Yeah?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” he lied. “Not at all, Underdog. I’m just tired, you know?”   
“Well, if you don’t wanna play ultimate, I’m sure you could nap on the bench or in the grass.”

TJ only shrugged. “Maybe.”

Cyrus’ brows furrowed, and he decided to stand up and grab TJ by the arm, gesturing for them to go outside.

Once they were out of the diner, TJ spoke. “Why’d you do that?”

“I figured you’d wanna talk in private. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I don’t know why you think something’s wrong.”

“Teej, come on,” Cyrus pleaded. “I’m not stupid. Is it Jonah? Do you not like him?”

“He’s fine. I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t hate him.”

“Then why’d you go all quiet and not talk to us?”

TJ bit his lip hard, crossing his arms to his chest, staring down at the concrete wordless. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

Silence.

“TJ, answer me, please.”

“You wanna know so bad? I’ll tell you.” TJ lowered his voice and looked around the area, making sure no one was listening. “I’m not convinced you don’t like Jonah anymore.”

“Is that what this is about? TJ, I’m over him. I don’t like him. Why are you so worried anyways?”

“You seemed so much happier to be around him than you do with me.”

Cyrus tensed up, holding back tears. He hated being an angry crier. He was beyond pissed, but he was beginning to struggle hiding the tears dripping from his face. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset, TJ. He’s my friend. Of course I’m happy to be around him. Why are you so jealous?”

“If I tell you, I’ll ruin everything,” the taller boy whispered. 

“I don’t think you’re going to.” Cyrus’ tone was more gentle than it had been. He felt defeated. TJ was upset and he felt helpless against that.

“I’m scared, Underdog. I can’t lose you.” TJ slowly sat down at the bench outside, burying his face in his hands.

“Tell me, please. I can’t die knowing you’re hiding something from me.”

TJ looked up, now with redness splotching his face like paint. “I’m jealous. God, Cyrus, I like you. I don’t get how you didn’t find that out yet.”

Cyrus wanted to speak but he felt his throat close up. It wasn’t that he didn’t like TJ. He was just confused about how and why.

“I didn’t think you’d feel the same, honestly. We’ve only known each other for eight hours.” He stood up from the bench and turned away, shakily beginning to walk in the opposite direction. “Good luck, Cy.”

“TJ, stop,” Cyrus breathed. Now he was crying. “I just don’t get it. How is this going to work out if we’re going to die?”

“It’s not going to work.”

“I don’t like Jonah anymore, I told you. I don’t. I’m over him. He’s my friend. I don’t like him that way, TJ. I don’t want to spend the rest of my time with him. I want it to be with you.” The boy reached for TJ’s hand, grasping it gently. “Don’t leave, please. There’s still so much I want to do with only you. Nobody else.”

TJ turned around again, facing the now also sobbing boy. “I ruined everything,” he wept. “I didn’t want this to happen.”

Cyrus didn’t speak, instead pulled the boy into his arms. He was embarrassing himself, crying in public yet again, but that was unimportant. What was important was making TJ understand he should not feel guilty. The rest of the town disappeared as the two held each other, sobbing quietly into each other.

After a few minutes, TJ pulled away, a bittersweet smile on his face. “I’m sorry,” he told him. “I’m a fucking idiot.”

“You’re not. Promise you’ll stay with me? ‘Til the end?”

TJ nodded slowly. “‘TIl the end.”

They stood in front of each other, now both of them with red splotchy faces and puffy eyes. Cyrus laughed silently. He hadn’t cried this much since he was younger - and he used to cry all the time. 

He figured TJ was the same way. He must have been someone to hide back emotions behind a shaky dam, waiting until the dam would burst and everything would flood out. He hoped the rest of their time would consist of no more lies.

Cyrus hadn’t noticed they hadn’t talked for over a minute and now were simply staring at each other, deep in thought. He glanced at TJ’s lips, wanting nothing but to reach up and let their lips meet. In “We should probably go inside, yeah?” TJ finally said, wiping his eyes.

“Yeah. Jonah’s probably worried. That and I’m starving.”

“Me too.”

Cyrus felt TJ reach for his hand and he allowed him to grab it. The shorter boy gave the other hand a squeeze for security. They opened the door and headed back towards their booth, where Jonah was sitting awkwardly.

“Hey, Jonah,” Cyrus greeted, sitting down across from him, allowing TJ to sit right next to him.

“Woah, are you guys alright? You look like you’ve been crying.”

TJ and Cyrus shared a quick glance, followed by a short smile. “Yeah, we’re good,” TJ answered. “Ambs still hasn’t brought our food out?”

“It’s gotten a little busier,” Cyrus noted, scanning the diner. “It’s about time for breakfast rush.”

Jonah nodded. “Should be out soon. Uh, if it’s not too personal, can I ask what happened?”

TJ’s smile faded. “I don’t know, Cy. Should we tell him?”

“I don’t like him not knowing the truth, so, yeah. I say we do.”

Cyrus took a deep breath and began the story, letting TJ interject when he wanted to. As he explained where they started - with Cyrus previously liking Jonah - sweat began to accumulate in his palms. Jonah’s face dropping expression didn’t help either, but thankfully, he understood.

“So, what does that mean for you guys?” He asked once the boys had finished.

“We don’t know,” TJ said, stealing a baby tater from Cyrus. “I mean, I’m terrified right when it gets good, one of us dies.” He swallowed, his smile fading in the slightest,

Jonah nodded sadly. “I can understand why you feel like that. Does that mean ultimate is out of the question?”

The two boys shared another glance, followed by a smile. “Not at all,” Cyrus responded. “Let’s finish breakfast, and then we can head to the park. If TJ’s okay with that.”

The other boy nodded. “Sounds cool to me. I haven’t played ultimate in forever.”

The boys all finished their breakfast after twenty minutes, the table full of conversation. It wasn’t all fun, as TJ and Cyrus couldn’t let go of the looming cloud over their head, taunting them if they even dared to forget that they were goners in fifteen hours. 

Once they had finished, they thanked Amber for taking care of the bill. TJ told her she could have the rest of the money in his wallet and the two boys said their goodbyes to the waitress and exited the diner. There was bittersweetness in the air, as both of the boys were going to dearly miss their favorite spot to eat. 

“Got a frisbee with you, Jonah?” TJ asked as they waited for the signal for them to cross.

“Is that even a question? Yeah, I got one.” 

Cyrus took a step out into the street, misreading the signal. His vision shot to the speeding car coming towards him, but TJ grabbed his arm and pulled him back on the sidewalk. “Woah, that was close.,” he laughed nervously. “I can’t lose you yet, Underdog. Be careful.”

“Yeah.” Cyrus blinked, his heart racing from the adrenaline. “Thank you,” he said to TJ, giving him a soft smile. His hand still held his arm gently as they crossed the street when the signal was clear.

“I didn’t know you were gay, Kippen,” Jonah said, looking over at the two, who were now holding hands.

“Never came up.” TJ shrugged. “How ironic. Both Kippen siblings are gay. Boy, would our parents have a field day with that.”

“They don’t know?” Cyrus asked. 

TJ shook his head. “No. I think I told you at the lake. I never got the chance to tell them. I don’t know how they would feel. Amber hasn’t told them either.”

The boys finally reached the park. Jonah pulled the frisbee out of his gym bag and gave it a few tosses in the air. “It’s just the three of us so we don’t really need to follow the rules. Who’s serving?”

“I think you should,” Cyrus said. “We haven’t played in a while.”

“Got it.” 

They spread out across the area and Jonah threw the frisbee in their direction and began their game. 

The game lasted no more than a half hour before Jonah checked his phone. “Oh, shit. I gotta go, guys,” he told them with a frown. “My parents need me.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. You should go,” Cyrus said.

“Is this gonna be the last time I see you guys?”

TJ sighed. “Unless we’re the one percent of Deckers that beat the odds, probably.”

The air became heavy. Though the two boys hadn’t died yet, Cyrus could sense the grief from a mile away. “I’m glad I got to see you,” he told him in a low voice. “You and TJ have really been making my day better.”

“It’s no problem.” Jonah began to tear up, but he simply wiped them away and laughed. “Man, I hate goodbyes.”

“We’ve had to give them all day,” TJ replied. “They are the worst.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, TJ.”

Cyrus frowned and pulled Jonah into a quick non-bro hug. While watching them, TJ felt weight off of his shoulders and an empty feeling in his stomach disappear. Jealousy was a relief to be rid of.

“I better go now. Do you want a hug?” Jonah asked TJ, giving him a sad smile.

“No, sorry. But I am gonna miss you too, man. We would have been quite the trio.”

Jonah breathed slowly. “Yeah, we would have. I’m gonna head out. Goodbye, guys. Stay safe for as long as you can.” He gave the boys a final wave and ran off. Cyrus watched him disappear and remained unmoving.

“I’m really going to miss him,” he mumbled. “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

TJ took a deep breath. “I can’t say it’s going to be okay, because it’s going to suck for the both of you. But I’m here, if that helps. Hopefully I’ll make it suck less for you.”

Cyrus turned to face the taller boy, finally transforming his sad expression to a grin. “You have been and I appreciate that.” Once again, he found himself staring not into his eyes, but at TJ’s lips. It was a better time to kiss him but he was still terrified to ruin the moment.

This time, TJ caught on. He simply gave the boy a smile as well and leaned in, pressing his lips to Cyrus’. He could feel his heart threatening to beat out of his chest as their lips connected, and he was certain Cyrus could hear it, yet all he did was slowly wrap his arms around the smaller boy’s waist, pulling him in even closer.

Cyrus pulled away rather quickly, scanning the area anxiously. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want anyone to see.”

“I understand.” TJ ran a hand through his blond hair and gave a low chuckle. “Was it a decent first kiss for you?”

“It was,” he admitted. “Was that your first kiss?”

“Yeah. If it wasn’t that good, don’t worry.” He didn’t bother to conceal the smirk forming. “We’ll have plenty of time to improve.” He watched as color rose to Cyrus’ cheeks and he tried to hide how flustered he was.

“You can’t say things like that,” he said, panicked. “I’m going to lose it.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t. But it is really funny to see how simple flirting gets you so embarrassed.”

“It’s not funny, TJ.”

TJ shook his head and laughed. “If you say so, Underdog. What do you say we go try something new?”

“I’m all in,” Cyrus agreed with a nod. “Let’s go.”


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! im not Dead!!! so this chapter has been in the works for about a month now and it went through many changes. originally, I was going to gave TJ teach Cyrus how to kickbox but bc of my limited knowledge of kickboxing and also lack of motivation, I went with something easier. sorry for such a long break in between chapters and this one isn't as long bc i kinda rushed it but i hope you guys like it!!
> 
> follow my tumblr: @heterophobictj
> 
> leave comments and kudos if u like it!!

“So,” Cyrus broke the silence after they had been walking for a while. He recognized they were heading towards the park again, but he was still confused. “What are we doing? Or do you even know?”

“I do know,” TJ hummed. “I don’t know if I should tell you, though. I don’t want you backing out.”

     "I don't like the sound of that." He stopped walking, consequently stopping TJ as well. "New things are scary to me, I'm not a man who likes change."

      "Dude," TJ laughed. "It's not like we're getting your name changed or anything. We're just gonna hopefully have a little fun. If I tell you what I want to do, will you be less nervous?"

     Cyrus thought for a moment. "I suppose. What are we doing?"

     The other boy grinned and grabbed Cyrus' hand. "Remember earlier when we first met up, we were at the park, we were talking and eventually I talked you into going to see Buffy and Andi?" A nod from Cyrus. "Well, before we did that, I wanted to teach you a little basketball. Not like, a real game, but just a little something for us to do. Thoughts?"

.       Cyrus went to refuse but took a glance at TJ's face, bright and smiling wide. He never really noticed it until now, but TJ's smile was truly dazzling. He was insanely pretty that it ruined him. TJ's face dropped and Cyrus realized he was waiting for an answer. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. Totally spaced out. Uh, anyways, yeah. I'm open to doing that."

       "Really?" That stunning smile came back and mentally knocked him out. "Awesome! Let's keep going." TJ grabbed his hand and pulled him to keep walking, and just the look on his face alone had made him zone out once again. 

       "I should have you know that I don't know how basketball works. At all," Cyrus said as TJ dragged him along. 

        "You watched Buffy play all the time?"

        "I, uh, never really paid attention. The only time I actually watched a game and knew somewhat of what was going on was when I watched a March Madness game with her."

     "You're a real friend, Underdog," TJ laughed, nudging him with his elbow. 

      "Don't make fun of me," Cyrus whined. "Buffy wouldn't be happy if she knew. And she won't."

       "I won't snitch, promise." They arrived at the court and TJ set his bag down. "Okay, uh, I don't have a basketball with me but we could probably steal one from someone else."

      "Or we could not play basketball?" Cyrus offered jokingly, dropping his smile when TJ gave him a disappointed glance. "I'm kidding, I still wanna do this with you."

      He nodded, scanning the general vicinity for someone with a basketball. "Hey! Excuse me!" He called, running over to some girls who had stopped playing and decided to swing instead. Cyrus watched as he talked to them, but didn't listen in, simply because he couldn't hear them talking. When he turned around, glowing smile, he had the basketball tucked under his arm and ran towards Cyrus. "They let me have it," he explained. "Told them we're both Deckers. That seems to be something people feel bad about. Anyways, wanna play?"

      "Yeah!" Cyrus told him with a grin. 

      "So, I'm going to assume you know basic moves, like dribbling, shooting, all that stuff." He waited for the boy's response, instead being met with nervous brown eyes blinking at him. "What about gym, dude? Didn't you ever play a simple game of basketball for gym?"

     "I'm sorry! This really isn't my thing. I mean, I know a little. Buffy said my dribbling was always passable." 

      This earned a slow grin from TJ. "Ah, so you lied. You  _ do _ know a little bit. So show me what you got." He threw the ball to Cyrus, who immediately dropped it and picked it back up.

       "Uh, I can assure you that Buffy told me that my skills are 'passable' to save my feelings. I'm not good. Like at all."

        "I'll never know unless you try." TJ's smile faded and he bit his lip carefully. "Do, uh, you still wanna do this? 'Cause I don't want to pressure you into doing something you don't want to."

        Cyrus frowned and cast his eyes towards his shoes, unable to look at TJ in those big emerald puppy eyes. "I'll go return the ball to them," TJ said, turning away from the boy to walk back over to the swings.

        "Teej, come back," Cyrus called. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I wasn't interested. Teach me how to play. I'd love to learn from you."

      The other boy smiled, cautious this time, as to not to get his hopes too high in case Cyrus changed his mind. "Of course, let me see how you dribble first."

     The next half hour skated by, TJ going through the basics of the sport. Admittedly, Cyrus was terrible at it, but TJ continued grinning and complimenting his effort. "Wanna shoot for me one last time?"

      "I don't know, I haven't made one yet." Cyrus clutched the ball to his chest, staring up at the hoop at least four feet taller than him. 

      "You can do it, Cy. Use the techniques I showed you." 

       Cyrus turned back to the hoop and dribbled for a second, smiling to himself how he was able to keep it close to him, thanks to TJ. He followed through, repeating what he was taught, unfortunately missing the hoop again. "Damn, I was so close."

      "Don't worry, Underdog. You did pretty good for a first timer. Imagine what Buffy would think if she heard about this."

      "Oh! We should go see Andi and Buffy! They probably don't know I'm alive right now." Cyrus tossed the ball to TJ, who ran it back to the girls he borrowed it from. "I just texted Jonah and he said they're at the Spoon. He's not with them, though."

     "Back to the Spoon, huh?" TJ grinned and grabbed Cyrus by the hand after slinging his bag over his shoulder. The walk wasn't far, nothing they hadn't done before. 

      Once they reached the building, Cyrus peered through the glass. "I think I see them. Let's go." They opened the door, the familiar chime greeting them. Andi immediately craned her neck to see who had entered, jumping up as soon as she saw Cyrus.

      She ran to him, pulling him into a hug. "Oh, thank God," she whispered in his ear. "I thought last night was going to be the last time I saw you!"

      Buffy approached her friends and smiled. "Good to see you here, Cy."

      "I'm here too," TJ teased, raising a brow at the girls. 

      "You too, TJ," Andi said. "Are you guys okay? Has anything happened yet?"

     "No, not yet," Cyrus grimaced. "We've been getting away without getting hurt. Some other stuff happened, though."

     "Oh?"

     "I think we're boyfriends?" TJ questioned, glancing down at Cyrus. "We were here earlier with Jonah and things happened and we both said we like each other."

     "Cute," Buffy commented. "But why is that a question?"

      "We're terrified that we're going to be happy and forget that our lives are at risk from nearly everything and as soon as we forget, one of us loses the other."

      Andi's smile dropped. "I understand that. What else have you been doing?"

      "You guys aren't going to believe this, but I played basketball!" Cyrus exclaimed, earning a surprised glance from Buffy.

       "Really? You've never played with me before."

       "I taught him," TJ told her. "He was reluctant at first, but he actually wasn't as bad as he thought he was going to be."

      "That's awesome, Cy!" Andi pulled Cyrus into another hug. "I have something for you. I couldn't sleep after you left, so I asked Mom if she could take me to the shack. She sat with me and cried while I made you this." Andi reached in her jacket pocket, pulling out a bracelet decked out in beads and various other supplies most people would have thrown out, but she kept for the potential art. "I stayed up pretty late finishing it. I passed out at about four in the morning."

      "Oh, Andi," Cyrus murmured, placing it on his wrist. "This is probably your best bracelet yet." He wiped the tears from his eyes and grabbed her hand. "Thank you."

      "Oh! TJ, I didn't forget you. Here's the one I made for you." She pulled another out of her other pocket, giving it to TJ. "It's similar to Cyrus'. I kinda figured you'd want matching ones."

      "These are amazing," TJ said, placing his on his wrist. "Where'd you learn to make these?"

      "I don't know, actually. I just kinda started making them one day."

      Buffy, who had been watching them, finally spoke up again. "What are you guys planning on doing next?"

      "I don't know yet," Cyrus said with a shrug. "We've kinda been wandering around with nothing to do."

      "Why don't we go roller skating?" Andi suggested. 

      "Great idea," Buffy replied, her sarcasm sneaking  through her words. "Y'know, if we want to do something risky that could get these two killed."

      Her smile dropped. "Right."

     "No worries, guys. I think TJ and I are gonna head out and find something to do. You should do your own thing."

    "Don't want you guys worrying about anything killing us if we're all together," TJ added. "Thanks for everything."

    "No problem," Andi said. "One last hug? All of you?"

    "Of course."

    All four of them piled into a group hug, holding each other tightly. TJ couldn't lie, he felt extremely awkward. Andi and Buffy weren't his friends and definitely weren't as close as they were with Cyrus, but  he kept quiet and indulged in the hug. Finally, they each pulled away. 

     "We better go," Cyrus spoke up after the hug. "Ready, Teej?"

     "Ready if you are."

     "Bye guys! Text us later if you're still here, okay?"

     "Got it," Cyrus called, turning away and exiting the building with TJ. He glanced down at the bracelet as soon as they left, tears threatening to spill again.

     "Cy? What's the matter?"

     He sniffled. "Nothing, it's just- she's never given us bracelets before. She saved those for people like Jonah and her mom. We never asked 'cause we knew in her mind, bracelets are special gifts." He began to sob as he finished his sentence. "I-it's sinking in again. After our time is up, I'm never going to see her or Buffy again."

       TJ quickly wrapped his arms around the boy again. "Hey, you're alright. Please don't cry, Underdog. You know they love you so much. And you said you believe in an afterlife, right? Today won't be the last day you see them. I promise."

      "I don't think you can promise something like that," Cyrus muttered, voice muffled from hiding in TJ's hoodie.

     "Yes, I can. I just have a good feeling about it." He pulled him away from his chest, using his sleeve to wipe away the tears dripping down Cyrus' rosy cheeks. "What do you want to do, Underdog?"

      "Something where I don't end up crying again," Cyrus finally laughed. "I could go for some muffins right now."

      "Now you're talkin'. What do you say we bake some?"

       "Sure! I'll text my mom and dad to see who's house we should go to. I kinda wanna be alone with you." He pulled out his phone and started typing, holding it open until he got a text back. "My mom and step dad aren't home. Let's head there."

      "Sounds good. Let's hope you have stuff to bake there," TJ said, gripping Cyrus' hand once his phone was in his back pocket again. 

     "We do, I know it." They turned away from the Spoon and slowly strolled down the sidewalk, hand in hand once more.


	11. not a chapter

hi!!! so if you're reading this, you may know that i discontinued this fic for very personal reasons, but now, after receiving some very sweet comments, i decided to override that decision. im gonna continue the fic! chapter 11 will come soon, not sure when, but i promise im working on it. Thank u for everything!

-han


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